Answer this...

Is now the time to shine for this...?

Fan video by Lynn8833. The song is 3 Doors Down's "Shine," which can currently be heard in 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics promos.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wowed 'em last Sunday when he gave Jamie McMurray a run for his money on the last lap of the Daytona 500. It's a sure bet that more fans in the stands were on their feet cheering for him to catch the leader than for the leader himself. Ditto for many fans at home. And in the broadcast booth, Darrell Waltrip couldn't hide his excitement for Junior's charge and shot at the win.

Junior Nation is once again optimistic that he is on a winning team and this will finally be his season. Critics, however, suggest that his season-opening performance was nothing more than an Earnhardt on a superspeedway on any given Sunday.

That point would be difficult to argue if Dale Jr. had lead all day and won after a long run. I think that pushing cars out of his way and gaining eight positions in two laps is kinda hard to chalk up to restrictor plate luck. That was chutzpah. Chutzpah can win. What say you?

3 Doors Down "Shine" Lyrics

Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets real and raw with this...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaks candidly with ESPN's Marty Smith about his place in NASCAR, shares what it's like to be on a team of elite drivers and responds to criticism about his peripheral business interests and life choices.

Related articles

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. involved in scary Nationwide Series crash (sports.espn.go.com)
• Stewart wins Daytona opener; Danica, Junior crash (nascar.com)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. MTV Cribs: Preview of this...

Video: Clockthe88

MTV Cribs returned to NASCARolina to have another look at Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s place for a 2008 episode. The preview doesn't offer much the hardcore fan hasn't already seen, but it is a fun, Junior-hosted tour of the house and property. No doubt that by the end, some of you will either be feeling naughty and wanting to get tossed in jail or you'll be trying to reserve your room at "The Hilton at Whiskey River."

First win as car owner for this...

VIDEO: NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks about his first win as car owner with veteran driver and mentor Mark Martin.

Update:

Q. Why is this being called his first win as car owner, when he was listed as co-owner on the #8 Busch car?
A. Couldn't say, except for if he thinks like I do, he probably considered himself a CINO (car owner in name only) before. The #8 DEI car that Martin Truex Jr. drove for two championship seasons was owned by DEI--an existing team at the company his father built.

On the other hand, Junior built JR Motorsports from the ground up. This is HIS team. This was HIS first win. Not DEI's ... not Teresa's.

AMP pushed it jumpstarting this...

Answer this... readers and passers-by are already looking for the Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Super bowl Commercial. Normally I'd oblige such a request, but really? ... the former Bud driver's return visit to the desert just didn't AMP me up at all. Although, the bad breath moment was reminiscent of my favorite scene in "Independence Day" with Will Smith and the stinky alien. Check it out here.

Dale Jr.'s new sponsor really got a jumpstart on the competition with this guy's AMP'd up rendition of "Push It."

Now, why didn't Dale Jr. do that? No doubt that would have been my favorite.

So far, my favorites are the first E-Trade Baby commercial and the Coca-Cola balloons ... but I haven't seen them all yet ... the only Budweiser one I saw kinda made me sad not seeing the #8 on the side of their baseball caps.

Which was your favorite?

+   +   +

Was Junior AMP'd out of this...?

Q. Did Dale Jr.'s AMP commercial air during the Super Bowl?
A. No idea. As of this posting, it wasn't listed on AOL Sports Buper Bowl Commercials page yet. And didn't we have this same discussion last year? And the commercial played during the Daytona 500 instead?

Q. Can you post the Daytona 500 Super Bowl ad?
A. That's actually a promo, not a commercial, but let's not get hung up on semantics. Here.

Q. What's the difference between a commercial and a promo?
A. Commercials are productions paid for and produced by companies and advertising agencies trying to promote a product to a network's viewers. Shorter promo spots are generated by the network for the purpose of promoting their upcoming viewing schedule.